AXIOS (Dan Primack) - Tech private equity is "frozen"
A top tech banker tells Axios that tech buyouts are "frozen," and the data largely backs him up. By the numbers: There's been a total of just $9.3 billion of global tech buyout value in April and May 2026 combined, according to PitchBook. - That compares to $52.6 billion in March alone, and a monthly average of $43.4 billion between last September and this February. - U.S. tech buyout data is a bit lumpier, but follows the same trend. A monthly average of $25 billion for the 12 months ending March 2026, but just $4.4 billion total in April and May 2026. What happened: In a word, Claude. Which was followed by Codex. - The buyside is paralyzed by AI-driven uncertainties and a sudden draining of private credit market liquidity. - The…